On Friday, September 24th, HHS had a rumor being spread on social media that was proven to be a hoax regarding a gun possibly being brought on school grounds. This prompted HHS to have less than 50% overall attendance that day. 

When the rumor was first going around, with much talk and very little information, students, staff, and parents did not know a whole lot about the situation. HHS students had to decide if they were going to show up to school that day or not. 

Sophomore Zilynn Watt had to make the decision based on what worked best for her and her after-school plans.

“I decided to come to school on September 24th, 2021 because I had a cross country race I wanted to attend,” Watt said

Now not all students had the option to go to school. Some students had to stay home because that was the best option for them and their families, like sophomore Korie Michaelis.

“I didn’t have a choice, I couldn’t come to school because my mom said she values my life over my education,” Michaelis said.

Even teachers had to decide if they were going to come to school. Mrs. Amie Branch decided to come to school because she felt reassured that there was no threat and she wanted to be there for her students.

“It was an option for me to take the day off Friday. However, after talking to Dr. Vogler about it, she reassured me that there was no substantiated threat and this was really just a rumor,” Branch said “I also feel responsible for setting an example for students and showing that doing the right thing, coming to school, talking about the issues, is the best way to do things.  I wanted to be here to support my students and give them the reassurance and stability that they needed.” 

Any rumor that makes it to the administration is bound to make people worry and have strong opinions. 

Michaelis expresses her thoughts about what was running through her head when she heard about the rumor and what helped influence her choice in staying home.

“I think it was the fact that we didn’t know who it was, they could have been walking behind me in the hallways and I would have no clue,” Michaelis said

Mrs. Branch also had some thoughts and concerns running through her mind while at school.

“Having kids of my own to think about changes the way I look at situations, especially in scary situations.  Also, for me, the biggest concern was that both Mr. Grage and I work here, so if two of us are involved in a scary situation, it leaves our children alone.  This is my worst fear,” Branch said.

A common complaint that came from students and families was that the school was not doing enough to inform the community on the status of the threat, but some students believe the school did as much as they could.

Watt thinks that the school did all that they could and then some to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

“Honestly, I think they approached it decently. They did look into it and tried to figure out what was going on, and if they don’t have much information, they can only go so far with the issue,” Watt said, “Therefore, I believe that they did as much as they could, and I also believe that when some of the teachers locked their classrooms that day it made a few people feel safer.”